Isn't it Bucolic

A new book offers ideas for taking rustic living up a stylish notch

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BECKON WITH CURTAINS | A gauzy curtain softens the stone entranceway of a Parisian interior decorator's house in the south of France, and offers a romantic welcome.
Gilles de Chabaneix/Rizzoli/The Way We Live In The Country

By

Sara Ruffin Costello

January 21, 2012

Authenticity might just have one last gasp in 2012 before marketers club it to death. But even if the back-to-basics appeal of eating slow food and buying hand-wrought items wears off, there'll always be the joys of "a simple country house."

The best rustic retreats feel like they grew from the ground—perfectly charming, relaxing and complete. Creating that effect, however, can be an even bigger challenge than handling those lumps in the almost-retired mattresses and the drafts that bedevil vintage rooms.

"The Way We Live in the Country" (Rizzoli) solves the inspiration problem. The book—by Stafford Cliff, former creative director at London's Conran Design Group, and French interiors photographer Gilles de Chabaneix—offers pages of pastoral pleasures, and a trove of ideas that feel both fresh and familiar.

Whether they're opulent Swedish castles or spare Corsican cottages, well-designed country homes share the same fundamental logic. Comfort, leisure and practicality are key. Whimsy is a plus, while fuss is not. Living rooms are designed for long weekends with long books; kitchens are arranged so one can happily spend hours tweaking a dish.

This pared-down way of living is not exclusive to country weekends. If we could experience more of it in our urban lives, we'd probably see blood pressures drop 'round the world.

—Ms. Ruffin Costello is a writer and design consultant based in New Orleans.

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An indoor tent creates a charming room-within-a-room.
Gilles de Chabaneix/Rizzoli/The Way We Live In The Country

Pitch an Indoor Tent

Draping cotton fabric over a bed frame, with a bit of ruffle at the crown, creates a charming room-within-a-room in this Gustavian-period country house.

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Painted woodwork warms up bare floors.
Gilles de Chabaneix/Rizzoli/The Way We Live In The Country

Add Borders

Sweetly painted woodwork and a collection of personal oddities warms up bare floors in a dining room in the south of France.

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Color can be as effective as a full-scale renovation.
Gilles de Chabaneix/Rizzoli/The Way We Live In The Country

Add Some Casual Color

Sometimes a gallon of Benjamin Moore can be as effective as a full-scale renovation. A generous splash of baby-pink paint and a hanging metal light fixture liven up this open galley kitchen in an ancient country home.

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Bedspreads thrown over armchairs also protect upholstery.
Gilles de Chabaneix/Rizzoli/The Way We Live In The Country

Play With No-Sew Slipcovers

In country houses, there are likely to be animals afoot (and on all the furniture). A collection of beguiling matelassé bedspreads thrown over armchairs is not only warm and adorable, but upholstery-protecting. Plus, when the seasons change, so too can the spreads.

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